Territorial analysis of structural and sectoral shifts in the steppe Russian-Kazakh cross-border region

Abstract

The most important aspect for sustainable development of cross-border territories is a balanced sectoral structure of the economy. At the current stage of development, processes of transformation and restructuring of the economy occur in the Russian-Kazakh cross-border region, resulting in structural and sectoral shifts that expand the spatial division of labour and shape the further specialization of the region. This paper studies transformation of the sectoral structure of the Russian and Kazakh border regions by the main types of economic activity, including various components of the productive and non-productive sectors (manufacturing, mining, energy, trade, transport, agriculture, etc.). As a result, we found a structural and sectoral restructuring of the economy in the transboundary regions, affecting a wide range of different industries, while at the same time the regional economy experienced a catching-up phase, the share of the non-productive sector was growing, and the share of industry and agriculture, although declining, remained high.